Landing role with local MASH team kick starts Coral’s career

Coral Pittam, a BA Childhood and Youth graduate has landed a role with the Northampton Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) team, before she has even graduated!

Twenty-one-year-old Coral, graduated in July said: “I’m chuffed to have got a job before I’ve actually graduated! My job with the MASH team will see me working with children, and their families who are struggling. The MASH team brings together people who work in social care, education, health, the police, and probation to improve the lives of children in Northamptonshire, giving them the best possible support when then need it most.

“Working with children and young people has a varied career path, and this role will be a great springboard into a more specialised area later in my career, I’m working with so many different professionals, learning more about each of their disciplines as I go. The people I’m working with are really interested in the projects I worked on at University and how we can use this with the children we’re working with.”

Coral spent a semester in the Netherlands as part of the University’s Erasmus+ programme. While studying abroad at HAN University of Applied Sciences in Nijmegen, she gained a deeper understanding of her degree subject by taking HAN’s Creativity & Art at Work module. Coral believes this was her ‘light bulb moment’: “Taking a semester abroad pushed me out of my comfort zone, but it was a great opportunity and I really enjoyed it. The module I studied at HAN gave me a really different perspective and helped me to think about different ways to work with young people. I was studying with people from lots of different countries and disciplines, It’s really broadened my knowledge.”

Coral chose her course because of the: “interesting modules which allowed me to gain a breadth of knowledge and understanding relating to children and young people aged 8 to 25 years. One of the exercises I was involved in was a Child Protection Conference, something I now do as part of my role with MASH. This experience was so valuable when I was applying for the role, and helped with my confidence when starting work.

“As part of the course, I had two placements, as well as going to the Netherlands, these gave me the opportunity to cement the academic knowledge I had and build on my confidence and resilience. As part of my placements, I worked as an Adventure Educator – taking excluded young people and helping them access education outdoors, something I’ve shared with my team now as a strategy for families we work with.”